


Snapshot

by JJtheIntrovert



Category: Gorillaz
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - Fashion & Models, Angst, Eating Disorders, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Manipulation, Older Man/Younger Man, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Protectiveness, Self Confidence Issues, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-29
Updated: 2019-02-01
Packaged: 2019-07-18 23:57:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16129340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JJtheIntrovert/pseuds/JJtheIntrovert
Summary: Stuart didn't expect a lot in life.He didn't expect for his best friend to accidentally get him a job.He didn't expect to go from nobody to famous in a week.He didn't expect to even meet a real model,never mind be one!But he never,ever expected he'd fall in love.(Based off a fashion Au I posted to Tumblr)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> If you guys want some more information on this au,check out my Tumblr for some more info,and even ask some questions about it!It might take a while before the next chapter is up,cause I want to make this really good,so pls be patient and say what you think!  
>  (Tumblr is Even-Hallow)
> 
> Edit:I MADE SOME EDITS!!!Made it longer and changed up some stuff to make it better

"Jimmy quit."

That, for the first time ever, got his attention. Murdoc looked up from whatever overdue bill or court order in his hands and gawked at him. "He what?"

Russel stood over the older man's paper-littered desk in his filthy office, rain bashing the windows and thunder roaring in the distance. He slammed the note down on Murdoc's desk, watching as the other grabbed it and read it, his expression turning more and more horrified as he continued.

"You're kidding...."

"I'm not."

"That prick!"

He tore the paper in half repeatedly, needlessly throwing it's shredded remains into the air behind him, and balling his hands into fists as he sat hunched over his filthy desk, breathing fast. Without the slightest warning, he lept from his seat, pointing his finger menacingly at Russel. "YOU!"

"M-Me!?" Russ asked, astonishment quickly turning to rage. "I didn't do-"

"Find me someone else! Someone different from that... that fucking pansy! Find someone useful for once!"

"Useful? USEFUL!? Look who's talking!"

"SHUT UP! Get someone else on board now! We've got our first official shoot in two days, one's that will actually be released! Get me someone now or you're-"

"Or I'm what?! Huh!? Fired!? Murdoc the only reason you've got Paula is cause I'm here! You're both lost without me, so don't even say you'll fire me, cause you know this whole thing goes down the drain if I'm gone."

Murdoc sighed, rolling his mismatched eyes, and putting his head in his hands. "Just get a new photographer, Hobbs..... get me the most naive, stupid, suck up photographer you can get..."

"Actually... that's why I'm here..."

Murdoc lowered himself into his seat, looking up at Russ with intrigue as he looked through the other neatly sorted papers in his hand. "I can't get anyone on board."

"Bullshit!" Murdoc exclaimed.

Russel looked up from the various sheets to glare at him. "Nobody wants to work with you, Murdoc."

"Lie if you have to then! If you can't get anybody by tomorrow evening you can take the photos!"

He sighed,sorting through the other papers in his hand. "Well.... there is..... one girl........"

"PERFECT!" the green man yelled, clapping his hands triumphantly. "Give her a call and get her the job!"

"Murdoc you don't understand, she's-"

"GET TO IT!"

"MURDOC! Listen! She's only twenty one, and judging by this resume, she's got the attention span of a toddler. We hire her and we're done for."

"Did I ask you for a professional!? No! Now get to it!"

***

Stuart loved Noodle to death, but she was the most oblivious person in the world.

He wasn't sure why, maybe it was because she was from Japan, but she had the worst timing of anyone he knew,and didn't seem to give a fuck about it. He'd be in the middle of class and his phone would go off, forcing him to step outside and take what he thought was an emergency call, only for it to be Noodle asking how his day was going. Or when he'd just gotten back from his shift at four am, desperate for some sleep, and she'd burst in looking to hang out.

Still, Stu loved her. Mostly because he didn't have any other friends, but that's besides the point, he still loved her.

Besides, she wasn't like that most of the time. Such as when Stuart arrived home from his convenience store job at seven thirty on the one night a week he didn't immediately have to change and head downtown for his night shift. She was gracious enough to wait for him to collapse on his couch before kicking his unlocked apartment door open and burst in with a bottle of wine.

"STUART STUART STUART STUART STUART!!!"

See, Stuart never really got a night to just rest. His nights were always filled with either manning the tedious drive-through at work, or desperately cramming notes he took in class into his barely functioning brain while getting buzzed on Monster and almost immediately after falling into a small power nap and drooling all over his notes. He didn't get to do this often, however, as his upstairs neighbor had at this point memorized his work schedule and ran down to his apartment to hang out every night he was free.

"Mornin' Noods..." Stu mumbled, peeling his tall sweaty body from his torn up couch.

"Evening, silly!" Noodle giggled,planting herself on the arm of his sofa. "How was school? Was work okay? You look tired, you should probably sleep-OH! I have the best thing to tell you!" 

Stuart rubbed his aching head, dragging his hand down his wet face in an attempt to wake himself up and pay attention.

"I got an interview! With an ACTUAL talent agent! I could get a job photographing people,Stuey!"

"Tha's great, Noodle, really great..."

Noodle's passion in life was photography. She may have been a Biology major, but photography was truly where her interest lay, and she'd made it clear to Stu on more than one occasion that her parents did not know what was best for her, she was a grown ass woman and could choose whatever career path she wanted! And as much as he liked to prod fun at her acting like a stubborn preteen (which she kind of was), Noodle was genuinely talented with a camera. He'd seen her take pictures of the most pasty, bedheaded, stress-wrinkled and dreary people he'd ever seen, and make the pictures into something straight up magic. Heck, Stuart himself was a sight for sore eyes, what with his untamable blue rats nest he called his hair and eyebags so bad it looked like a fourteen year olds Myspace profile pic, and most of the pictures she took of him made him look like a blue haired black eyed sex God.

"You know who Russel Hobbs is, right?"

Stuart bit his lip, scratching his head hesitantly, making a snowstorm of dandruff fall onto his couch. "He's related to the guy that did the Jace Hernandez line, right?"

"That's Damon Albarn, and Russel's boyfriend is Del Supriya, who worked with Mia Hernandez on her twenty fourteen Summer line, but that's not important! I got an interview with him!"

"With who, Noodle?"

"With Hobbs!"

Stuart managed to wake himself up at that, abandoning any hope of rubbing the sleepiness from his pitch black eyes." W-With Russel Hobbs? W-Wow, Noodle... h-he's pretty well known... How'd you-"

"I really don't know! I've heard nothing about what I might do for him, but that's not important! I could get to work with him!"

"So, he could have you, like, straight up take shots of people naked, and you wouldn't care?"

"You gotta do what you gotta do. Plus, working for him opens up so many more doors for possible careers!"

"Noodle are you actually planning on doing anything with your biology degree?"

Noodle's smile fell, and she looked at him with a blank stare. "My wah? Oh that! Yeah that. No not really, not if I get somewhere with this. BUT ANYWAY!" She held up the bottle of wine triumphantly. "Where are your glasses?"

"Wine?" he asked as she got up and rushed to his kitchen to rifle through his cupboards. "On a Thursday?"

"In celebration!"

"You haven't got the job yet."

"Yeah but it's still an achievement to even get this interview!" She emerged from his kitchen doorway, two glasses in one hand and the bottle of wine in the other, and plopped down on the couch beside him.

"I don' know, Noodle. You're not too great at handlin' your alcohol..."

"Oh come on! You're no fun, Stuey! When was the last time you went out on the town?"

Stuart's cheeks heated up as he looked away. "I'm.... never....."

"Well let loose then!" Noodle exclaimed, already clumsily pouring herself a glass and spilling the deep red liquid on his couch. "You never get invited places, right? Neither do I! I don't think we should go out tonight cause we have school tomorrow, but that doesn't mean we can't hang out and have a couple glasses of wine! Come on, Stuart, you need a little fun in your life."

"Noodle, I've 'ad a really long day" he sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "All I really wan' is t' go t' bed..."

Noodle put her glass on his coffee table. "Bullies at ya again?"

"Mhm..."

"And your bitchy manager at H&M made you work overtime again??" she asked quietly, leaning over the couch, putting her face closer to his.

"Mhm....."

She pressed herself right up against him, mouth to his ear, and gently whispered. "And you missed the bus and had to walk???"

"Mhm..........."

Noodle, not stirring from her position, grabbed the full glass of wine, and held it to him. "Have a drink,Stu..."

He sighed, taking the glass from her and scooting away to the end of the couch as Noodle poured herself a glass. Stuart took a long, slow gulp, and sighed, placing his drink back on his glass coffee table and running a hand through his sweaty hair. "God, it's only Thursday..." 

"I know!" His best friend had already downed half her glass, and was reaching for the bottle again. "Can you let them know I won't be in tomorrow? The interview is pretty early."

"We have different teachers. Can't you just call in and say you won't be in?"

Noodle shrugged, swishing the wine around in her glass and spilling more onto his couch. "I don't know if they'd believe me. I've missed so many classes that no one answers my calls anymore."

Stuart rolled his black eyes, taking another sip from his own glass, and leaning his head back against the couch, staring at the discoloured patches on the ceiling. "Fine, I'll tell your teacher. You know Noodle, you really should take school more seriously. It ain't free, ya know..."

"I know, and I really do appreciate my parents for it."

He looked up,eyes wide with shock. The girl just sat there, staring into her nearly empty glass and swishing what little deep red liquid was left in it. Noodle had never talked about her parents like that: not that she talked about them often,or even positively. It was always complaining about how pushy they were, pressuring her into a life she didn't want, and not listening to her wants and needs and ambitions, and just being pretty shit people. But looking at Noodle now,calm, and almost sadly staring at her cup of wine, he knew exactly what he was getting into.

"They just want what's best for me, and they're doing what they think that is." Noodle reached for her bottle once again, filling her glass to the rim, and putting the nearly empty bottle back on Stu's cracked glass coffee table. "I love them, I do. And they love me... but y'know, parents suck sometimes. Mine do most of the time. What about yours?"

Stuart, caught off guard by the question, shakily placed his glass back on the table. "Um, m-my parents? They're..... okay..... nothing too interesting........ paid for m' college an' all... great people....."

"You don't sound so sure."

"No no they are! S' just..... we don' talk much... I don' think they think about me much... they love me 'n all, but I think they're kinda glad to 'ave me outta their hair... 'ad to take care of me for a year after I got run over. 'ave I told you 'bout all that?"

"I don't think you have. Just that your eyes are full of blood from an accident."

"Well I was workin' in a keyboard shop, tryin' t' save money for me tuition, and one day, some lad drives through the front window of the shop and hits me in the face, knocked me int' a coma and got ordered to take care of me. 'Bout a year later I went through the window of his car when 'e was doin' stunts and hit me head again and got knocked out of it. Crazy bastard tried to hit on me afterwards!!"

"Yikes" Noodle muttered, taking a sip from her drink. "Well, your out of it now, and now you're here. Thank goodness he was a bad driver."

Stuart raised an eyebrow. "Are you sayin' your 'appy I got hit by a car?"

"N-No!" she panicked, spilling almost half of her glass onto his couch and floor. Stuart laughed. "I get what you mean. Thank God 'e was rubbish at stunts."

"You said he hit on you afterwards?"

"Tried to. He was obviously tryna be subtle,but he wasn't too good at it."

"That is a whole new level of douchebaggery."

"Tell me about it." Stuart held his glass out to her. "Cheers to him being a shit driver."

"Here here."

They clinked glasses and each took a long sip. Noodle placed her empty cup on the coffee table, readjusting herself to lean against the armrest, and sighed. Stuart stared at the liquid in his own cup, swishing it around slightly. "So you're gonna photo models, hopefully... Do you have any pictures of people?"

"I don't photo people while their posing much. I'm just gonna use the ones from Chris' graduation."

"No way! Noodle I look like shit in 'em!"

"What? Nah dude, you look like a million pounds! Here, take a look!" Noodle pulled out her phone and passed it to him, but the image displayed did nothing but bring him down.

Stuart once had more friends than just Noodle, both of whom were in this picture, and he had this very picture framed and put beside his bed. Christopher graduated two year's ago, and in the picture, stood in front of the extravagant fountain outside their school, dressed in his fine black robes and hat, and holding his precious rolled-up degree in his hand. Stuart, being the ditsy freshman he was, had one long arm draped around his then friend's shoulder, with Abigail Monroe, a girl who graduated just last year, slinging her arm around his neck. The three of them looked ecstatic in that picture, which honestly shocked Stu since on the day Chris was a sweaty pail wreck and Abbey's eyes were so bloodshot she constantly looked like she was high, but somehow, Noodle worked her photography magic and made the three of them look like literal super models.

He hummed slightly, swiping to the next picture, which displayed the three of them pulling silly faces. The next was Chris on his own,holding up his degree, proud grin on his face. The one after that, Abbey and Stu doing various stupid and sexual poses against the huge stone letters at the front of their college.

Finally he came to one where Noodle was included, and the others looked like shit. Chris' hair was greasy once again, and Abbey's eyes had returned to their stoner look, but both looked happy as Noodle had her arms around their necks and stood on her toes to get closer to their height. Stu was the one behind the camera on this one. It looked shit, but that was fine because they all looked like shit that day. They all took a turn behind the camera, and none of them could work Noodle's photography magic.

"D'you still talk to either of them?" he asked, passing the phone back to Noodle as he started coming across much more private images (wouldn't be the first time.)

She took her phone and slipped it into her jacket pocket. "No, you?"

"No. I don' blame them, though. Who'd wanna keep in touch with a useless prat like me?"

"Oh don't be like that!" Noodle exclaimed. "You're not useless! You're nearly done college! One more month and you'll be a lawyer!"

"That's not how careers work, Noodle." He gulped down the last of his wine, and sighed, placing the now empty glass upside down on his coffee table. "Besides, I'm shit at law... don't even like the stupid class..."

"Then why'd you pick it?"

"Same reason you did- well, maybe not the exact same. Mum an' dad didn't push me int' college, but I... I guess I didn' wan' them t' think i'm useless....." He leaned back, resting his head against the sofa, and resumed his staring at the strange ceiling spots. "I was wrong abou' that too..."

"You're. Not. Useless. You just don't know what your good at."

"You think at my age I wouldn't find something I'm good at?"

"Stuey, you've been through a lot. I think you're setting your expectations too high."

"Noodle I'm twenty three-"

"And you've had serious brain damage, and been in two accidents that permanently altered your appearance. I think you're doing pretty darn well after all that. Besides, I know something you don't..."

He looked at her. "And wha's tha-"

Before he could finish, there was a flash, and Stuart was forced to blink several times before the strange outlines and colours faded.

Noodle sat in front of him, camera in hand and a grin on her face. "You're a pretty good Model."

Stuart scowled, snatching her camera, and staring at the picture displayed on the little screen. "How do you do this?"

"Do what?"

"Make a literal heap of shit like me look like an Adonis."

"Oh. Well that's not my best picture, but y'know, lighting and angles and such."

"I swear t' Christ Noodle, you're like a fucking wizard wiv dis thing."

He passed it back, only to immediately be blinded by another flash of light. "Stop it."

"What, I can't take some photos of my best buddy? I like looking at you, you're pretty!" Noodle exclaimed, holding her camera up to her eye again. "Pose for me, Stuey."

Stuart rolled his eyes, which of course went unnoticed by Noodle, and put his finger to his lip, pulling the most overly sweet and innocent smile he could. Noodle snapped her picture and showed it, and of course it looked great. "Do a serious pose! This looks like the thumbnail for something on Pornhub!"

"You're welcome."

"Gimme another!"

He obliged, this time grinning as he tilted his head to the side adorabley.

"Come on, Stu! Channel your inner pornstar!" Noodle exclaimed, snapping his picture.

"You're a fuckin' pervert!" Stu cackled, falling backwards onto the couch in a fit of giggles.

"You mean an artist." Noodle reached for the wine bottle again, holding it up and shaking it sadly. "Dammit. I think I've got some more upstairs."

"There's two cases 'f Heinekan in the fridge if you wanna open 'em."

She jumped from the couch, stumbling slightly and crushing her shoulder against his the doorway, and disappeared into his kitchen. Loud glass clinking followed. Stuart reached for Noodle's digital camera left abandoned on the couch, and held it up,staring into the pitch black lense curiously, and smiled, snapping a picture of himself. As Noodle emerged from the kitchen holding up the two cases of beer triumphantly, he took her picture, which sent her into a fit of excited laughter.

Noodle jumped back on the couch beside him. Dropping the beer, she snatched her camera and slung her arm around him, taking a picture of them both.

"Yer gunna run outta memory" Stuart laughed as she unwrapped her arm from around his neck, scooting down the couch and taking another picture of him.

"I can delete them! Not that I will though. I'll probably print the less smutty ones. Pose again!"

Stuart,in a moment of great intellectual brilliance, decided to grab the hem of his shirt and pull it up, giving Noodle the perfect shot of his torso.

"Yas, Stuey, yas! "Noodle stated, snapping several pictures of him with his shirt off. "Trousers next!"

Stuart grabbed a couch cushion and tossed it at her, nearly making her drop her camera, and sending her falling backwards in a furious fit of laughter. Stu fell back too, laughing so hard he was struggling to breath.

"Ah, honestly Stu..." Noodle heaved, finally having calmed herself down. She reached down, grabbing two cans of Heinekan from the floor, and tossed one at him, hitting him right in the face with it. "You'd be a great model..."

"Thanks Noodle..." Stu sighed smiling, already recovered from the brutal blunt attack on his face, and cracking open his can of beer. He knew he'd regret it in the morning, when he had to leave early as fuck for class and had his two shifts in the evening, but he'd just had one of the worst days ever, and right now he just needed to get drunk.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Russel finds something interesting hidden in a stack of photos, and Stuart has the worst morning ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: Ya'll hoes are more thirstier for good grammar then you are for a sex scene

Just her resume alone had him worried.

Twenty one year old Haruka Kyuzo would be the worst possible choice for this job. She listed no prior experience with professional photography, and the several par-time jobs listed had warnings from past employers about her attached.

He pleaded with Murdoc to reconsider, to cancel and reschedule, but the green man was having none of it.

She typed like a seven year old! It obviously didn't matter if she was good at spelling or grammar, and the girl was probably new to writing in English, but sweet God it was painful to read!

Russel's torturous reading of her resume finally ended as his office door creaked open. "Hello?"

He looked up,eyes landing on the short Asian woman peeking through the open door into his office. Her short black hair was tied into two little pigtails, and her jacket and handbag (both denim) were littered with pins.

Russel smiled politely, slamming the God awful letter on his desk,and standing."Haruka?"

"Yes!That's me!" she beamed. "I'm not interrupting,am I?"

"No no,not at all. Please have a seat."

Haruka gently closed his office door, rushing forward to shake his extended hand, and sat down.

"I apologize for scheduling the interview so early" Russel said, sitting down across from her. "I have a pretty important meeting with a partner and client later this afternoon."

The young woman didn't look the slightest bit phased by this, and simply nodded, smile ever present on her lips.

"So,Haruka..." He looked over the resume stuck to his clipboard. "Are you, um... new to English?"

"No, not really. I've known it for most of my life."

"Then what about writing it?"

"Oh, my writing is... um... I cannot write English too well..."

"Yes, I could tell from your resume. Not to be rude, but this is.... um..." Russ rubbed the back of his neck, averting his gaze from the young lady sitting in front of him. "It's really bad. Did you not have someone read over it before you sent it in?"

"Well I saw the advertisement,and I... well,I got a bit overexcited..... Usually I'd have my friend Stuart read stuff over before I send it in, but he doesn't correct it.He's got really bad writing too."

Whoever this man was, he was an idiot for allowing her to send in stuff like this.Russel opened one of the many unlabeled notebooks on his cluttered desk, jotting down a few quick points about her that came to mind, and looked backup. "And he couldn't do that this time?"

"He was at work before I could ask him,and I wanted to submit this quickly."

He gave her a suspicious look, which didn't seem to affect her embarrassed yet excited demeanor. "You wanted to work with us that badly?"

"Yes!I really admire your work and a lot of the people you've managed, and I-"

"Haruka did you read the advertisement properly?"

"Of course!"

"So you know you're applying for a position working for Murdoc Niccals?"

"Yeah and so? I know he hasn't got the best track record, but you're on board too, and you're great at what you do."

Russel smiled slightly. "Thank you. Now I had a look at the photos you sent me, and I will say, you certainly seem good at it,especially with landscapes, but I noticed a distinct lack of people shots."

"Oh of course! Just let me-"

She reached into her little denim handbag and pulled out a small stack of Polaroid picture held together with a bright pink hair tie, and passed them over the desk to him. Russ quickly sorted through them, the majority of which looked like they were taken in the moment rather than professionally done. She seemed quite good with group shots, judging by the few pictures of the same three people presumably at a college graduation.

"You're still in full time education, right?"

"Yes! Not for long though, next year is my last."

"But you're still taking classes. Would those interrupt any events scheduled?"

"Er, maybe? I can always.... um ....skip ..... and get a friend to take the notes..."

"What are you majoring in?"

"Biology, and a minor in chemistry."

"So you're smart then?"

"Oh, um.... not smart per say... I'm not the best at it."

"That's okay, don't gotta be a genius to be a good photographer..."

The Polaroids of women were particularly good. It was mostly the same one, a tall black girl with immensely curly hair and freckles, doing some ridiculous poses like the ridiculous college kid she presumably was, but somehow, Haruka made pictures taken at random times out to look professional. "Do you have any experience with professional photography? Have you worked in a studio or with equipment?"

"None."

"Well these are pretty good for spur of the moment pictures. How long have you been into photography?"

"Five years! My parents gave me a digital camera for a trip to Poland when I was sixteen, and I've been obsessed ever since."

This woman sure seemed eager. It was just photography for Christ sake. Russ could probably do it himself. "You work better with anyone in particular? Men and women, I mean."

"Not really, I'm good at working with everyone!"

Russel hummed in response, glancing away from her pictures to his open black notebook, and the several points he'd jotted down about her over the previous few minutes, none of which were particularly good.

"Miss Kyuzo" he sighed, starting to flip through her impressive print outs of friends, about ready to ask the girl to leave his office. "You're a very nice woman, but I just don't think you're suited to work with us-"

He froze at what he saw next.

A photo of a man, the same blue haired man from most of Haruka's graduation themed pictures, but this time on his own. It never really occurred to Russel that behind his shut eyes in the previous photos that there would just be darkness. But there was. The man in the photo had pitch black eyes, and spiky blue hair.

A sudden gasp pulled him from his amazed trance, and looking up, Haruka sat across from him with her hands slapped over her mouth. "I... Oh gosh I didn't know I printed those... c-can I have those ba-"

"Hang on!" Russ pulled the stack of photos away as the girl reached for them, turning to the next one, which now portrayed the blue haired man putting a finger to his lip in a childish manner that made him look like a porn thumbnail. "Who's this?"

"M-My friend Stuart" Haruka answered, now reaching for her photos, but hesitating to take them from him. "P-Please!There-there's shots of him naked in there!"

He gave the photo stack back, his gaze not wavering from the picture of Haruka's friend doing his innocent finger to lip pose.

A tense silence filled the room after that. Haruka, after stuffing he Polaroids and print outs back into her little denim back, sat in her seat nervously picking at her pink nails and biting her glossy bottom lip.

"Congratulations Haruka. You're hired."

She gasped, jolting forward in her seat excitedly, and opened her mouth to say her praises, before being swiftly cut off.

"Now..." Russ turned the photo in his hand around to her. "Tell me more about your friend Stuart."

***

Whatever they did last night, it was bad. Stuart woke up with a bitch of a headache, like his head was being bashed repeatedly against concrete, and sat up, looking around to find he was in his own small messy room, completely naked. He spied the boxers he'd worn the previous day in the empty doorway, and beyond that his clothes trailed off into the hallway and sitting room. Stuart, after quickly checking his bed and finding no mysterious stains or condom wrappers, found the little note addressed to him left on his bedside table.

 

_Stuey,_

_I had to leave early to get ready and catch the bus into town._

_I had a ton of fun last night,_

_and don't worry cuz we didn't have sex_

_Love Noodle xoxo_

 

Well that was a weight off his shoulders.

Stuart stood up, stumbling and nearly falling onto his dresser. His room really was packed full. He slowly wandered out of his room, picking up and putting on the clothes littered around his hall. Once fully dressed he walked through his sitting room and into his tiny kitchen,carefully maneuvering around to avoid knocking things off the cluttered counters,and opened the fridge with a huge clatter. The door was mostly filled with bottles, the inside of the fridge itself not containing much more than leftover boxes of takeaway. With a sigh, he grabbed a three week old box of chips, and slammed the door.

Stu took a seat at the small glass table by the one window in his kitchen, tucking into his box of unnervingly green chips, and allowing his black eyes to wander. His cramped kitchen was beyond cleaning at this point- a nuclear bomb could hit it and it would look cleaner. But at this point he'd pretty much given up on his kitchen, and was really just focusing on keeping the rest of his flat in somewhat decent condition.Also,this place was really starting to stink,more so than usual. Maybe it was the green chips, or some of the old food left out on the counter that was starting to grow fur, but something was definitely decaying in here, be it an old pizza he forgot to eat or the body of the last tenant.

The only sound was the buzzing of flies hovering over previously mentioned furry pizza, and the quiet ticking of the weird cat clock that looked side to side constantly that Noodle gave him. The thing gave him the heeby jeebies, but he'd never throw out a gift from a friend.

Said clock was also broken, as it was an hour slow.Stuart, still munching on his moldy chips, stood up, searching around the over cluttered counters slightly scared to lift up a box or wrapper and find rats, and finally finding his electric watch in the freezer. Not questioning how it ended up there, he stared at it, and sighed as he found it was stuck on six thirty.

Abandoning his breakfast, he ventured out into the hall, swerving around the piles of weeks old laundry he was yet to do, and peeking into the sitting room.The guitar-shaped clock above his telly showed the same time as Noodle's cat clock, 9:40.

The clocks had to have gone back. They simply must have. There was no way he could be this late for class.

All his doubts were dismissed as he found his phone on the couch, and turned it on to see the exact same message displayed on his lock screen, 9:40.

Time went by a bit blurry after that, as it usually did when he fucked up majorly and panicked, as he scrambled around his flat to find what he needed, and rush out the front door and sprint down the busy street. The bus, now long since gone, wasn't an option, meaning he'd have to make his own way there with just twenty minutes.

He didn't really remember anything since he was in a blind panic, just shoving a woman out of the way and grabbing a city bike before she could, and cycling down the street as fast as he could as she screamed after him.Stu was finally knocked out of his blind panic when he returned the bike to a station just down the road from his school, and bolting it the rest of the way.

Stuart finally reached the campus, wandering into the wrong building once or twice, and earning some curious glances and stares from fellow students, but as he finally approached his lecture room door, he stumbled inside, panting for air desperately. The huge room went dead silent as he entered, all eyes on him.

"Late night,Mr.Tusspot?" his professor asked from the opposite end of the hall. Stuart felt his cheeks burn, and bowed his head as he took a seat at the back in silence. The other students slowly turned their attention from him back to the lecture, or texting, or doodling on their books or some shit. Stu immediately took out his notebook, glancing over the shoulder of a blonde girl sat in the seat in front of him, only to be disappointed by her page being empty. He promptly gave up on copying notes, instead turning his attention to the board at the end of the small hall, and sighed. It was more recap, just like the previous two weeks. No wonder nobody was paying attention.

Suddenly regretful that he didn't sleep in longer, Stuart skimmed through his thick notebook, and being the responsible adult he was, decided to revise over some newly added stuff he wasn't too experienced with. The only real experience he'd had with actual law, not this useless class shit, was when his so called caretaker crashed his car which then sent Stuart flying through the front window and was faced with jail time. Stu testified that time. He couldn't when he was hit the first time, people he worked with or were in the shop at the time had to do it, and that didn't do much.Stuart taking the stand the second time didn't do much either.

Why was he even in law?? The one time he was in a courtroom he felt awful, probably because he was forced to sit in the same room as that miserable waste of a life that put him in his coma in the first place. Every day Stuart cursed the man's name. Had he not driven through the front window of that shop that day Stuart wouldn't hate this subject, he wouldn't have two black eyes, he wouldn't have his migraine's, he wouldn't have any of the things that he had now that made his life hell.

His horrible train of thought was interrupted when the doors of the lecture room creaked open. Everyone seemed to turn at once, all noise in the room dying out.

"Um...Is Stuart Pot here? It's an emergency."

Everyone looked at him. Stuart glanced over his shoulder, and didn't recognize the man leaning in the doorway. He wore a suit, though he wasn't a teacher or staff member, but Stu vagueley recognised him. From where? He didn't know.

"Tusspot!" His professer's harsh call made him jolt, and he looked back towards the white board. "You're excused."

Stuart took a minute to clumsily stuff his books back into his bag, and stood up quickly, turning his back to his staring classmates. He hated when people stared at him.

The instant he was out and the door was shut behind him, Stu turned around, facing the tall (shorter than him, but still tall) man. "Who are you!? How do you know who I am?! What do you want!?"

The man was shocked, looking up at him surprised, and holding his hands up defensively. "W-Woah woah, calm down. Haruka told me where I could find you-"

"You mean Noodle? Why'd she-Oh God..." He stopped for a moment, fear washing over him as the horrific thought spilled to the forefront of his mind. "...did something happen to her? Y' said it was an emergency! Is she hurt? Did something-"

"Calm down, calm down! She's-"

"Why would you come to me!?" Stuart was grabbing his hair at this point, staring down at the shorter man with tears pooling in his black eyes. "Why would she send you to me!? Why wouldn't she say to call her parents?! Or did you already!? Do her parents know?! Are they-"

"CALM DOWN! Jesus, man, you're gonna pull your hair out! Just take a breath."

Stopping for a moment to breath, he stared at the man in front of him, as a weird thought crossed his mind. He looked familiar. Stuart couldn't really tell if he'd seen him before, or if he was just generic looking enough that he'd gotten him confused with some celebrity.

"Who are you?" Stuart asked again.

The shorter man grinned. "My name's Russel Hobbs, and I was wondering if you wanted a job."


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stuart goes to a rather lively job interview.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thought I'd dig this corpse up from it's grave

There was a lot he didn't know. He didn't know what happened in his best friends job interview, or why on God's great Earth a famous talent manager would come to him of all people, but there was one thing he was certain about. Stu was going to fucking kill Noodle.

The next few hours was spent imagining the thousand plus things he would say when he saw Noodle again. Usually he would let her careless nature slide, but not this time. No siree. He'd had his nudes leaked before in a traumatizing incident that forced him to move schools, but giving polaroid pictures taken while he was drunk to a famous manager? Stuart would have sworn he was going to kill her, but his nine year old cousin Daisy fractured his wrist in an arm wrestle less than two months ago, so he knew Noodle would fucking destroy him.

Finally, the students were released from their class room like chickens from their coop, and flocked into their usual friend groups to go off for lunch. Stu took a seat on a bench in the large courtyard in front of the big fountain, staring at the little business card. Mr.Hobbs was in a bit of a hurry, but gave him his card and said he could call any time, but calling new people really gave Stuart anxiety. He didn't call people, too scared of disrupting them, and only ever got calls from Noodle or his parents, sometimes his cousin Daisy if she needed some quick help with her homework. But calling people was one of the biggest things that gave Stuart anxiety, as well as asking for help and meeting new people.

Flipping over the card, he glanced over the address and short message scribbled in neat hand writing on the back. _Head to 203 Stafford street at quarter to four if you want the job._ He really wanted the job. Juggling two shifts a day at opposite ends of London was murder on his health, and before last night he hadn't slept in about two weeks, running purely off Red Bull and Monster, but getting a new job still gave him anxiety. What if he got there and Hobbs decided he wasn't fit for it? What then?

 _Stop it, Stu, Stop it,_ he told himself. He didn't have a doctor or his parents to give him confidence anymore, heck after today he might not even have his best friend, but he needed to reassure himself. He couldn't rely on others for confidence, just like he couldn't rely on them for anything else. His whole body shook as he pulled himself up from the bench, and only got worse as he neared the front entrance of his campus.

He had class again within the hour. If he headed out now he wouldn't make it back in time. And what if this took too long? What if he missed the rest of his class? He was much safer just getting something from one of the shops on campus-

 _For fuck's sake it's just fucking lunch!!!_ Stuart scolded himself as he walked. He was now holding his upper arms in a pitiful attempt to stop them shaking. If one were to look at him convulsing like this they'd probably think he'd just seen a ghost. He was shaking like it was minus ten outside!!! His shakes were at their worst when the entrance came into view. People he passed probably thought he was having some kind of stroke. His teeth were jittering at this point, which really freaked him out, and thus made him shake more.

Finally, setting his shakey foot down on the pavement, he stood off of the border of his campus. His shake stopped. He looked around at the cars going in and out of the property, zooming up and down the street, turning corners and disappearing. People wandered by, too preoccupied with their phones or conversations or screaming children to notice him.

Stuart took a deep breath through his nose, and released it, taking off down the street.

***

It was times like this that he really wished he had more friends. Sat alone at a table in a busy inner city McDonalds. People were probably staring at him. _Look at that freak. No wonder he's by himself,_ they probably thought. Stuart didn't care. He wasn't a freak, he just looked a little different.

In all his life, Stuart only had three friends. Noodle, Chris and Abbey. Assuming Noodle got her precious new job, she'd probably be leaving him too. He acted like he didn't care, but he really did. Why did nobody want to stay with him? He was lovely! If his friends were so quick to leave him, then how was he going to get a girlfriend? Stu had never even had a girlfriend, but judging by how long his friends stuck around, any long term relationship in store for him wouldn't be very long.

Stuart sighed. His mind was so full right now that he'd lost his appetite.

He'd taken to watching people when he was alone. Not in a creepy way, but just watching them go along with what they were doing. Chatting with friends, stressing over not having the right change, struggling to discipline bratty kids, all of it. He liked to think what he'd do if he were them.

I'd be grateful, he thought. They don't have to live like me.

"Stuart?"

With a glance up, Stu felt his blood go cold, and a shiver run up his spine. The man stood by his table was staring at him, familiar bright blue eyes looking him down, and a shocked expression on his face.

Stuart's eyes went wide, and his jaw hung open, shocked. "Chris?"

Chris smiled slightly, looking Stu up and down. "H-Hey mate. It's been a while."

"Yeah, yeah it has! H-How're ye?" Stu asked eagerly.

"Oh, alright I guess. 'M just on me lunch break. I s'pose you are too?"

"Yeah! D'you-D'you wan' t' sit down-"

"U-Um no! T-That's fine!" Chris answered quickly. "I have to be back quick, but how are you? School's been alright? You're nearly done it now, right?"

"Yeah, last year. How's work for you?" Stuart asked curiously. Him and Chris had mostly become friends because they were both majoring in law, and Chris was his tutor for their last few years.

"Oh it's fine, kind of boring" the blonde man answered. "How's Noodle?"

"She's grand, she's actually had a job interview t'day, wiv some big shot manager. She'll be goin' places now, I s'pose. You and Abbey still together?"

"Yeah, engaged now, actually."

"Oh." Stu felt something in his chest. Something off, and a bit painful. Heartbreak, he supposed. " And how's she?"

"Loves her new job. Movin' up fast too."

"Yeah." Stuart never really liked Abbey. She and Chris had started dating halfway through Stuart's first year, and Chris always brought her around when they'd hang out or do stuff. Pretty crappy situation considering Stu had the gayest crush possible on him.

"So you's two are gettin' married." Crossing his arms, he pressed his back against the cool leather of his booth, as a wide grin broke out across his face. "I s'pose ye just forgot me invite?" he joked.

An uncomfortable look spread across Chris' face, and he rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "Um..... Stuart..... Stu I know we were friends, but..... Stuey, mate, people change over time, and..... you and Abbey..... well ye's weren't exactly on the best terms back when we hung out..... and you know what they say, Happy Wife Happy Life....."

He watched him, blank expression unwavering. "No. Don't finish. I understand." He stood up, which made Chris quickly back up. "I creep her out. It's fine. It's fine that nobody wants to be seen in public with me. That's fine. I don't wanna be seen with a snake like you either."

Chris looked shocked, staring up at him with his jaw hung open. "S-Stu, no, i-it's nothing like tha-"

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have a job interview to smash."

***

Fuck everyone. Fuck Chris and Abbey and their happy loving relationship. Fuck Noodle and her new amazing job that would probably get her famous. Fuck everyone and everything that ever pretended to care about him. Stuart didn't need them. All he needed was himself. He was going to stroll into that building, his head held high and proud, and get that job.

Or so he thought, as when he got off the bus and walked into 203 Stafford street he was a jittery shaking mess. The lady sitting at the front desk just gave him a judgemental glare as he wandered up, which only made him more nervous. She was old enough, probably late forties, and dressed like she was a secretary out of a bad sixties movie. She took the cigarette out of her mouth, and proceeded to blow smoke right into his face as she talked. "You got an appointment?"

Stu coughed slightly as he waved the smoke away, slipping his shaking hand into his pocket, and pulling out the little business card to show her. The secretary just glanced at it, before rolling her blood shot eyes, and taking another long drag of her cig. "Ugh. Another one."

Before he could ask what she meant, her hand flew into the air, and she pointed to her right. "Top floor, down the hall. Third door on the right. And take the stairs."

The building itself was old, located in an area built well over a century ago, the wallpaper peeling and cracked, and the wooden stairs creaked uneasily under his feet .The walls were so thin he could hear people through them. Despite the fear of the delicate wood collapsing under his weight, Stuart went all the way up the three flights of stairs, reaching the fourth floor. The whole place was in need of a good clean, but he didn't let his easily triggered sneezing get the best of him, and turned right down the hall. The voices grew louder, mostly because it was several people screaming, and surprise surprise, when he reached the third door, the screaming was coming from in there. Stu swallowed the lump in his throat, his hand balled into a fist and ready to knock, when his second thoughts started getting the better of him. Things sounded pretty bad in there, so maybe now wasn't the best-

He knocked. Immediately, bad thoughts started swimming around in his head, about how they'd be mad at him for interrupting their meeting, about him not getting the job, about him getting in trouble for skipping class for no fucking reason.

But when the door didn't open, his mind went blank. He knocked again, and still no response, besides the muffled yelling from within the meeting room. _Come back later. Turn around now or you're dead. You'll piss them off and loose any chance at getting this jo-_

The door hinges creaked as he entered, and the noise increased tenfold. The room itself was decrepit and dusty and had a large pile of chairs stacked against the wall, but that was the least of his concerns, as four people were standing around the long table screaming their heads off at each other.

"FUCK YOU! I NEVER NEEDED YOU ANYWAY!" a tall pale woman with long black hair shrieked, her overly makeuped face flushed red in rage.

"Oh fuck off you prissy bitch! I'm the reason you're evn in this business!" snapped the large man, who he immediately recognized as Russel Hobbs.

Noodle stood at the end of the table, shaking in fear as she glanced at the screaming 'Professionals' around her. Stu took an involuntary step forward, opening his mouth to call her name, when a deafening noise shook the whole room.

"ENOUGH!"

He looked, shocked and astonished, to the shorter man standing at the table, who practically seething with rage. His pale green face flushed red, his mismatched eyes narrowed and his sharp teeth bared, as if he were about to pounce on somebody standing across from him. He was quite handsome, even with the sickly green skin and crooked nose, and he probably would have looked even better had he not looked like he was about to commit mass murder.

He looked like he was about to start talking again, but as he looked around at the now terrified looking people around him, he briefly made eye contact with Stuart. A moment of agonizing silence past, a moment that felt like a trillion years, before either of them even moved.

"Who are you?" he asked, more like demanded, raising his hand to point right at Stuart. Stuart felt his voice hitch and his muscles tense as he stood there, stuck in a staring contest with this green, scary, attractive man. Thankfully, his prayers were answered, as he felt a strong hand grab his and give it a hearty shake.

"Stuart!" Russel exclaimed, beaming as he shook his hand. Stuart managed to take a shaky breath, tearing his eyes away to look at Russel, bewildered. "Wonderful to see you. Everyone-"

Without warning, Russel's hand went to his lower back, and shoved him forward. Stuart, after peeling himself off of the dusty table, stood to his full height and looked nervously at the faces around him. Noodle just blinked rapidly, speechless, likely from shock. The other woman now had a cigarette between her red lips, and stared at him judgingly, like she was deciding whether or not to eat him.

"Russ, who the fuck is this?" the green bastard asked, tearing his mismatched eyes off of Stuart to glare at Russel accusingly. A sour expression crossed Russel's face.

"Stu, this is Murdoc, my partner. Murdoc, this is Stuart. I figured he could be pretty successful in the industry."

Murdoc stood a bit straighter, crossing his arms as he glanced at Stu with a curious eye. "Russ how many times do I have to tell ya t' stop bringing people in from strip clubs-"

"Stuey is not a stripper!"

All heads in the room turned to Noodle, who didn't looked the slightest bit deterred by the attention suddenly placed on her. She looked outraged, though it looked as though she were biting her tongue. "He is my friend! I showed Russel some pictures of him."

Murdoc let out a slight giggle, with a roll of his mismatched eyes, like a parent watching their child tantrum. "Oh, I'm sorry" he spoke mockingly. "I didn't realize it was bring your pet to work day."

"Fuck you, Murdoc" Russel growled, which got little more than a huff from Murdoc. Russel turned back to Stuart, the kind smile returning to his face as if that nearly violent confrontation never happened. "I'm sorry about him, we've had a pretty long day. Of course that would all be solved if someone-"

"I am NOT doing lingerie shots!" the smoking black haired woman stated, her pretty face twisting into a sneer.

"It's not a big deal! Everyone has to start somewhere!" Russel exclaimed.

"Yeah but I'm not going to stoop THAT low! You know how I met Murdoc!"

"Shut up Paula!" the green man snapped, slamming his hands on the dusty table, which made Stuart jump. "You fucking love my cock in your-"

"OKAY!" Russel cried, covering his ears and staring at the floor intensely. "Moving on from that!"

Noodle piped up, raising her finger to speak. "I-I do not mind taking nude shots-"

"SHUT IT!" Murdoc shouted, once again slamming his fist on the table, which made the girl jolt back in shock. Stuart didn't know why, but suddenly, he didn't feel scared anymore. Oh no. All he felt was anger. "Don't speak to her that way!" he stated, though it came out not so intimidating and more whiny and childish. Murdoc just scoffed, glaring across the table at him. "Oh, and what are you going to do, white knight?"

"I'll break your fuckin' hand, tha's what!"

Stuart didn't have the slightest clue where that came from, and almost like he was looking for an explanation, looked around at the others, who just stared at him, stunned. Even the woman, who he know knew was Paula, had let her cigarette drop from her red lips as she stared at him, wide eyed and jaw hung open. Slowly, Stuart allowed his gaze to shift back to Murdoc, who's shock had now worn off into cold, unbridled rage.

"What did you just say to me?" he asked quietly, through sharp, gritted teeth. Stuart felt a sudden cold dread wash over him, and a horrible sinking feeling in his stomach. The way Murdoc stared at him nearly made him tremble. Thankfully, before he outright started crying, Russel pulled him back and stood right at the edge of the table again, regaining his usual calm composed demeanor. "Okay, we all need to calm down-"

"If him workin' takes away any of me pay I'm not workin' with ye's" Paula stated, crossing her arms as she stared down her nose at the men around her.

"Well that won't be a problem, Sunshine, cause he's not working with us" Murdoc replied, peeling his poisonous glare from Stuart to glare at her.

"Oh come on, Mudz!" the American man exclaimed. "You ain't even seen the photos of him!" In that moment, Noodle started to fumble through her little denim back, pulling out a stack of photos held together by rubber bands, and shakily holding them out to Russel. Murdoc quickly snatched them, nearly tearing them as he flicked off the bands and started to scan through them. There was a sneer fixed on his lips as he browsed through them. "Ametuer CamBoy at best."

Stuart could see Paula roll her eyes, snatching one of the polaroids photos from Murdoc, and hold it away from him as she inspected it. "Oh get over yourself, you wrinkly old codger. He looks really nice in these." Murdoc reached for the photos like a toddler having a tantrum while Paula, who at this point Stuart assumed was his girlfriend or something, held him at bay.

"I really think Stuey should be given a chance" Noodle piped up, which once again had everyone looking at her. "I have known him for a very long time, and from what I have seen of what you do, i think he would be a perfect model for some of your clothes."

Silence took over the room, an uncomfortable silence that made Stuart feel like his bones were shaking. He looked to everyone, and everyone was looking at Murdoc, who was stuck in thought. He kept his eyes fixed on Stuart, like he was something in a store he was trying to make up his mind on buying or not.

"We'll do a practice photo shoot" he finally stated. Stuart spied Noodle grinning like a shark out of the corner of his eye. Russel sighed with relief, and a somewhat glad look settled on Paula's pale face. Russel launched right into another conversation about outfits and clothing that Stuart didn't bother paying attention too. He was too fixated on Murdoc, like his body refused to look away. Murdoc seemed to be the same, as he kept his harsh glare fixed on Stu. What he said next wasn't even all that scary, but it sent chills to Stuart's core. "But if you mess up, lad, I'll have yer head on me wall."


End file.
